Friday, April 20, 2018

Operation Red Sea (红海行动) - Movie Review

The Story: PLA Navy Marine Corps launch a hostage rescue operation in Ihwea and undergo a fierce battle with rebellions and terrorism.

The Review:
Imagine if Michael Bay had made Saving Private Ryan instead of Steven Spielberg and it might give you an idea of what this movie feels like. Operation Red Sea is Dante Lam's follow up to his 2016 smash hit Operation Mekong which I also compared to Michael Bay films. In a good way. What I'm talking about in the comparison is the ultra glossy camera work, hero shot camera angles, and big, explosive action sequences that are as intense as they are exciting. The main difference is how Lam isn't afraid to show you the brutal reality of combat, which is where the comparison to Private Ryan comes in.

Lam also does a good job of weaving together several story lines involving a whole bunch of characters including friendly rivalries, love interests, and coming of age stories, oh and the drama of it all is very real. There are definitely a few "I'm not crying, you're crying" moments in this movie which really says a lot for how it's all put together. I mean, do you really expect tear jerker moments from what looks like an explosive action thriller? Well, now you know so be prepared.

The cast is led by Zhang Yi who plays Yang Rui, the leader of a Chinese strike team sent into Yemen's southern port of Aden to evacuate foreign nationals and Chinese citizens during a civil war. If you weren't aware, the movie is loosely based on actual events. Zhang Yi, along with co stars Huang Jingyu, Hai Qing, Du Jiang, Zhang Hanyu, and Prince Mak, really give their all to the performances with lots of emotion and intensity from start to finish. There wasn't a lot of opportunity to go deep into character development, but what they do accomplish definitely makes the film better overall.

The Verdict:Operation Red Sea is one of the best military action movies I have seen in years. Period. Nothing else to say. If it's playing in a theater near you, go see it.